I've tried to prove it cleanly by angle wrangling, but I'm getting bogged down trying to simplify a bazillion trig expressions and making silly errors..At some point I have to use the angle bisector theorem or the cosine rule...both of which yield ugly expressions that have only worked so far with my calculator... There must be a simple and elegant proof but I'm still searching for it 😳
Ok, you're right, it's 30 degrees. Here is my solution. which I think is resonably elegant.
1) Add another point, F, between D and C such than angle CBF = 20 degrees.
2) Angles in triangle BCF add up to 180, so BFC = 80.
3) Hence triangle BCF is isosceles, with BC = BF.
4) Angles in triangle BEC add up to 180, so BEC = 50.
5) Hence triangle BEC is isosceles, with BE = BC.
6) So BC = BF = BE.
7) Angle FBE is 80 - 20 = 60.
8) Hence triangle FBE has two equal sides and one angle is 60, thus it is equalateral.
9) Hence EF = BF (= BC = BE)
10) Angles in triangle BDC add up to 180, so angle BDC = 40.
11) Angle DBF also equals 40.
12) Hence triangle FBD is isosceles, with BF = DF.
13) So we have DF = EF
14) Hence triangle FED is isosceles, with EDF = FED = (180 - 40) / 2 = 70.
15) Hence BDE = 70 - BDC = 70 - 40 = 30.